Philly Targeted In ICE Crackdown Leading To Nearly 250 Arrests

Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities made nearly 250 arrests after a multi-state crackdown, with Philadelphia being a main target of the Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Officials tackled Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware in the operations, that lasted from Feb. 27 to March 10

In the effort, 248 individuals were arrested, 50 of which had been deported before.

"In the Philadelphia area, ICE arrested several at large criminal aliens in which the agency had issued detainers but the City of Philadelphia failed to honor them and released the individuals from custody — a situation that puts the public at unnecessary risk," said Jennifer Ritchey, Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia Acting Field Office Director. "ICE will continue to conduct targeted enforcement operations, whether local jurisdictions intend to cooperate with ICE or not."

Eighteen of those arrested were immigration fugitives with outstanding final orders of removal issued by a federal immigration judge, ICE said in a statement.

Philadelphia has been steadfast in ensuring it will be a "sanctuary city" for immigrants who entered the country illegally, despite President Donald Trump's plans to crack down on "sanctuary" sites and a bill in the Pennsylvania state legislature that would strip funding from sanctuary sites.

Image via U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement